EducationI went to Catholic schools my whole life, including college at Carlow University, where I majored in Creative Non-Fiction.

What were you doing before you entered this formation program?
I worked in day care for a year.

How did your education help equip you for religious life?
I remember being able to go to their offices and talk about joining the Felicians. My creative writing teacher encouraged me a lot to use my writing to as a way to think about it. It helped me a lot to develop my relationship with God.

What made you choose the Felician Sisters?
A friend invited me to a “come and see” day, and I remember being in the chapel praying and feeling completely at home.

What is the most difficult part about adjusting to religious life?
Just getting used to the freedom that religious life brings. It is such a pure freedom. It is about the freedom that comes from God’s love. But I do miss sleeping in sometimes.

What role did the vocation director play in your discernment?
She played a huge role. She supported me all throughout college, and once I was a senior and needed some space to separate and think things through, she was so understanding of that process. But she kept in touch with me. It was nice to know I had that support.

What is the most rewarding part of religious life?
I always have a family to come home to here.

What is your favorite bible verse?
Galatians 2: 19-20: “I live no longer but Christ is within me.”

What do you do for fun?
I like crocheting. I like to go bike riding, and I like to bake here and there.

What would you like to say to the Hilton Foundation, who made this grant possible?
Thank you very much, and God bless everybody who had anything to do with it. It is going to help me in my life so much, and I will definitely keep everyone in prayers.